Monthly Wrap-up II - March & Signs

For other signs from across the world please check Tom's post.

Following from the previous post:

Monday 10th - This morning we drove in 2 cars for about 40 minutes, from Vilamoura to Tavira, a charming town on the east coast of the Algarve, about 30 min from the Spanish border.

When the Romans invaded the Iberian Peninsula, the village then called "Balsa", acquired strategic importance due to having a bridge over the river. Later the town came under the control of the Moors in their conquest of the region.

Built on either side of the Gilão River which flows into the sea, it has a long sandy beach, plus salt pans that attract birds such as spoonbills and flamingos.

The market building on the right

There's a small hop-on, hop off tourist train that runs on a loop through the main tourist attractions like the castle, the Salinas (salt pans)...

The train crossing one of the bridges

Interesting doors

Collage of tiles on building facades in Tavira

"Domus Iustitiae" - Court House

Walking around I spotted safe houses for street cats. A nice initiative.

Time to stop for lunch at Polvoaria Restaurant (Octopus restaurant). They had other things apart from octopus of course, but their speciality was octopus and other seafood.

Seafood in outdoor fridge

Brother in law Jose, sister Isabel, daughter Karina, son in law Thomas, sister Luisa, brother in law Chris and me

Some of our choices - octopus salad, octopus steaks, octopus stew, Flan pudding

Then it was time to get back in the car and drive up the hill to visit the Igreja de Santa Maria do Castelo (Santa Maria of the Castle Church) and the medieval Castelo de Tavira (Tavira castle) next to it.

We didn't go inside the church, there was some kind of exhibition going on and there was an entry fee to go and visit it, so we only got photos from the exterior.

Believed to have been built in the 13th century, occupying the site of a former mosque, after the town of Tavira was conquered from the Moors. It was reconstructed in the 18th century, after the 1755 Lisbon earthquake.

Street where castle is situated

Castelo de Tavira (The Castle of Tavira) is a medieval castle, built by the Moors between the 10th and 11th centuries. Following the conquest of Tavira by the Order of St James in 1242, work was carried out on the walls of the castle. In the late Middle Ages, the walls enclosed about 5 hectares. 

In 1755 the structure was severely damaged by the 1755 Lisbon earthquake, which contributed to the fact that this defence structure fell into ruin. In 1938, the Tavira Municipal council purchased the main fortress and restored it within two years.

Luisa, Chris and Isabel in front of the castle walls

The garden inside the fortress walls was well looked after - the white building is the Church

I easily climbed the narrow stone steps to the battlements where you get city views. It was more difficult to descend those high steps and I basically sat and scooted down each step, lol.

Views over the town

Tuesday 11th - The family (with the exception of Karina and Thomas) visited the Outlet Algarve and the shopping centre next door "Mar Shopping Algarve", both in the town of Almancil. Both my sisters wanted to buy shoes.

Display at the entrance to the Outlet

Outlet outdoor shops

Shoe sculpture outside the Outlet

             

Lunch at Franguinho where we ate grilled chicken.

Then we drove back to Vilamoura. That evening the whole family drove 30 minutes to Faro to meet up with Katia, the daughter of a long time friend from South Africa (who sadly died a few years ago). The families have stayed in touch, and now the younger generation (my children and nieces) are also friends.

K who lives in Faro, was the one who recommended the small restaurant - Há Pátria - (Homeland). The small restaurant (it also has an outdoor esplanade) is charming, great ambiance, delicious tapas style food, great service and delicious sangria :) 

Faro Marina

Various tapas plates

The family with Katia and her son

Wednesday 12th -  We drove back to Cascais after lunch.

Thursday 13th - The family had lunch at my sister Isabel's house, then Thomas drove to the airport, to pick up his parents and brother who were arriving from Marseille.

When they arrived, Karina and I went over (their Airbnb was just a street up from ours) to welcome them. Their place was so much nicer and well cared for than ours.

Blue tiles on the foyer of the airbnb where Karina's in-laws stayed

Friday 14th  -  Visit to the town of Sintra with Thomas's family, and my sister Luisa and husband. Sintra, about 20 min from Cascais is a major tourist destination of great cultural significance, famous for its historic and fairytale palaces, nearby beaches and lush landscapes.

The fairytale colourful Palace of Pena atop the hill

Traffic rules had changed since my last visit to Sintra 2 years ago, and private cars were no longer allowed to drive up the hill to the Moorish Castle and Pena Palace, so we parked the car in a city carpark and took a very expensive tourist ride up the hill (return was paid for too, we just had to message them).

We later discovered we could have taken a tuk-tuk or even the bus for a much cheaper option. 

When we arrived Karina bought 8 tickets online to avoid the long queues, but as we got to ticket collector, he alerted us to the fact that the tickets were for a week later and he wouldn't let us in!  (13 eur for adults, 10 eur for over 64's)

What had happened was that Karina just looked at tickets for the closest time after our arrival and not noticed the date. She was told to email the office to get a refund.

(The return email declared they did no do refunds! 😡)

New tickets had to be purchased and the next allocated time for entry to the Palace was 3pm, and it was then about 11,30am! 

We started by looking at the gardens, then slowly climbed up the hill, and took the path leading to Cruz Alta (High Cross). Great views over Sintra and the sea, from the top, but it was a hard climb for me! 

Rising 529 metre above sea level, this viewpoint in the tallest peak in the Sintra Mountains in the heart of Pena Park.

          

                                                  The cross at the top

We descended the hill to be back at the Palace before our 3pm entry slot.

We still had time to visit the Gift shop and join a long queue for the loo :)

 

 

                                                             A sign inside the gift shop

Another view of Pena Palace

The Pena Palace was built by the husband of Queen Maria II, Austrian born King-consort Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. He became Ferdinand II upon the birth of their first son Pedro (V) a year after their 1836 marriage.

The palace was built over the remains of a 16th century monastery, with an eclectic style, influenced by many architectural styles in the era of Romanticism. The design was a project of the German Baron Wilhelm Ludwig von Eschwege and Ferdinand II, and built as an alternative to their summer residence in Cascais, as the summers are so much cooler in Sintra.

Some of the rooms at the Palace

Lastly we visited the chapel, before exiting the palace to wait for our lift back to the carpark.

We went home for a short while, and then it was time to call an Uber to bring us back to Sintra for dinner at - Incomum - a restaurant Karina had chosen for their vast choice of gluten free foods for her celiac mother in law .

It would just be Thomas family, Karina and I and my Dad, as my Mom had a cold, and both my sisters had other engagements.

The restaurant had various rooms but was cosy, the service was top notch, the food was different and very tasty. It was expensive, but Thomas's dad offered to pay for dinner.

My choice: Lobster and crab cream soup, Codfish confit with sauteed vegetables, olive oil pudding with Azorean cheese and grilled pineapple and sorbet

Saturday 15th - The whole family gathered for breakfast at my sister Isabel's house, before she drove Luisa and Chris to the airport for their return flight to South Africa. Earlier I had bought pastries and bread from a nearby bakery.

Pastries: my favourite - Palmier (pig's ears), Angel bread and custard slices, Portuguese tarts and rice cake

Later I joined Karina, Thomas and his parents and brother for a walk along the coast to the Cascais Marina where we later had lunch.

Of course we stopped at Boca do Inferno (Hell's mouth), the fort, the museum...

We had lunch outdoors at one of the numerous restaurants (can't remember the name).

View of the marina, Chicken steaks with rice, and Pica-Pau (small pieces of beef in a gravy with pickles)

Sunday 16th - Karina took Thomas to the airport for his departure to Qatar in the early morning.

When she returned, we checked-out of the airbnb and moved to my parent's house, as we now had the spare bedroom where Luisa and Chris  had been.

Tuesday 18th - Karina and I visited Palacio Fronteira (Fronteira Palace).  Entry fee was 17 Eur which included a guided visit. 

Located close to the Monsanto Park and the Zoo (blue line on the Metro) in the suburb of Benfica if you take the Metro, but there's free parking across the street. 

I had never heard of this palace until I saw photos of it on instagram, I'm glad we went as it was a beautiful and exquisite place and had fabulous gardens.

Classified as a national monument, the palace is still the current home of the descendants of Dom Joao de Mascarenhas, First Marquis of Fronteira and wife Madalena de Castro, who ordered the construction of the palace around 1670 as a second residence and hunting lodge for the Mascarenhas family.

The couple had panels of azulejos (tiles) installed to decorate the walls and facades of the palace, which still adorn the walls. The formal gardens, fountains, grotto and lake date from the same period.

Due to the fact that the palace is occupied by a couple and their two kids, only part of the palace is open to the public, you can't take indoor photos, but you can have free reign in the garden. We also had a great guide who spoke both Portuguese and English and she managed to bring the history of the palace to life.

The Fronteira palace - the right wing is where the current family live

Patio leading to the chapel and the gardens

The tiny chapel had its walls and ceiling covered with shells, stones, and broken Ming Dynasty pottery. Apparently when the Royal family came to dinner a new dinner service was used, and the other was smashed. The value those Ming dinner services would have now!

The entry to the chapel (via the courtyard), inside the chapel

Detail of ceiling

Outside, the garden, large pond, grotto, walls with tiles that tell a story, plus statues of all the Kings of Portugal until the construction of the palace.

I spotted a black swan, and excitedly announced - there's a swan from Australia!

The guide replied "you are right, not many people know that". Well, they are in the coat of arms of Western Australia! Another couple in the group thought it could have been fake, lol. The lonely swan had lost its partner last Summer. We were told the swan pined for the partner until he took over caring for newborn ducklings.

The big pon - the black swan, ducks, grotto with a small lounge inside

  

After leaving the palace we left the car in a carpark near the Zoo Metro station and took the train into Lisbon's city centre.

As we arrived we stopped for a simple lunch at Browns Bistro at 88 Rua da Vitoria, part of Browns Boutique Hotel. The decor reminded me of a jazz club, the foreign waitresses were very attentive and even tried their best to speak Portuguese, the burgers were very tasty with real home-made chips.

Burgers and chips, cheesecake

We then walked to Rua Augusta (Augusta Street), a pedestrian street in Lisbon's centre, that connects the city's two main squares - Rossio and Praça do Comércio - leading to the iconic Rua Augusta Arch. The arch was built to commemorate the city's reconstruction after the 1755 earthquake, but was only finished in 1873 . It has six columns and is adorned with statues of various historical figures. On top is a viewing platform with 360º views over Lisbon and the river. 

The magnificent yellow buildings surrounding the Praça do Comércio (Commerce Square), one of Portugal's largest plazas facing the Tagus River, house some of Portugal's most important state departments.

There is also an interactive Museum here - "Lisbon Story - Memories of the city", that related the main events in the city from past to present.

Before the 1755 earthquake the square was the site of the "Ribeira Palace", the main residence for the Portuguese kings during 250 years.

In the middle stands a statue of King Jose I, who reigned from July 1750 until his death in February 1777, and during which reign the Lisbon's earthquake happened.

Arch of Rua Augusta and Statue of King Jose I

Afterwards we went on a hunt for murals in a nearby neighbourhood :)

While in the city I received a text message on my Portuguese mobile to warn of a severe storm expected to hit the coast on the 19th and 20th.

Wednesday 19th - I had a dentist appointment to get a quote for dental implants, as the price I was quoted here in Perth was eye-watering! I was quoted almost 1/3 of the price in Cascais, so I'll be doing my treatment there once I retire, which I'm planning to do by the end of September.

Then the family went to lunch at a Mozambican restaurant - Moztuga's, in São Domingos de Rana, to celebrate Father's day.  A simple neighbourhood restaurant run by two friendly African ladies, limited choice of dishes of the day, but reasonably priced and tasty food.

Dad with me and Isabel

Entree - Prawn cakes and samoosas, my main - fried prawn and chips, dessert - carrot cake with chocolate

That night when already in bed, the big storm - Martinho - hit the whole of the Portuguese coast causing widespread damage. Luckily because it was at night, there were no deaths, but there was a lot of damage to buildings, parks, cars, small planes... The 120 km winds in Cascais could be heard through the closed external blinds while I tried to sleep! 

Thursday 20th -  My last day in Portugal.

In the early morning I went out to buy bread and there were lots of tree branches in the streets, overturned rubbish bins... At one end of my sister's street, just 2 blocks down, a tree had fallen and blocked the access. Later my sister and brother in law arrived for breakfast and showed us photos they had received from friends about the destruction.

The grounds of Casa da Guia (the yellow building with boutiques and restaurants) were covered in fallen trees, which luckily didn't damage the building.

PS: a day or two after the storm Karina received an email to say the tickets she had bought for the visit to Pena Palace for the 19th, would be refunded due to the fact that the Palace was closed due to the storm. She was lucky in that respect, as they had previously refused to refund the incorrectly bought tickets!

Trees over fences, Casa da Guia in Cascais

I worried about my afternoon flight to Doha, there had been no communication from the airline, but the wind had subsided and it was only raining then.

After lunch, Karina drove me to the airport for my 6,20h long flight to Doha. Everything seemed to be normal.

Eco car at the airport, my plane to Doha

I watched two films:

Widow Clicquot -  a 2023 film based on a true story behind the Veuve Clicquot champagne business. The widow unconventionally assumes the reins of the business and becomes one of the world's first great entrepreneurs.

The last rifleman - another 2023 movie inspired by a true story, with Pierce Brosnan as the main character Bernard Jordan, a British World War II veteran who in 2014 slips out of his nursing home wearing his war medals and travels by bus and ferry to France to attend the commemorations of the 70th anniversary of D-Day landings.

I enjoyed both movies, even though I'm not a fan of Pierce Brosnan at all, he was ok in this movie.

I arrived in Doha and had just over 1 hour to my next flight to Perth, so I didn't get much time to look around, but found a statue that I hadn't seen in my December/January flights through Doha.

On my 11 hour flight to Perth, again on the double-deck A380-800, I watched a few more movies:

Here - a 2024 romance/drama starring Tom Hanks and Robin Wright. It shows various generations of families living in the same house over a period of 100 years, and how they cope with life, death, love...

At the same time the story follows one family as they grow older together and how time changes everything.

My opinion: I loved this movie, though it was very well made and of course it stars Tom Hanks, who is one of my favourite actors.

City of second chances - a 2024 romance/comedy about a ride-share driver who meets finds romance when a random passenger demands he take a break with her on the Las Vegas strip. 

My opinion: feel-good movie, likeable characters.

 

Maria - a 2024 film starring Angelina Jolie as Maria Callas, as she reflects on her life and career. It follows the seven days before her 1977 death in Paris.

My opinion: Beautiful music, but found it a bit slow and dull.

Landed in Perth at 6,45pm on Friday 21st, and just before landing I spotted the sun setting over the horizon.

Sunset as we were about to descend into Perth

Saturday 22nd - it takes me a week to get over jet-lag, but we had to get up early to attend our grand-daughter's 5th birthday. It was nice to see the family.

                                                           * * * * * * * * 

Didn't know where to "plant" this photo, but it's just to show the variety of products in one of Cascais supermarkets.

Sausages/cured meats - cheeses (there were another 2 of these fridges!), wines and other alcohol and the last one small pastries at the bakery.

Hope you enjoyed the armchair visit to Portugal as much as I did!

Sorry for the extra, extra long post and a million photos, but just didn't want to write a third post about Portugal! It's time to move to April!